"faithful People, by fending to them the Light of thy holy Spirit grant us, by the fame Spirit, to "have a right Judgment in all Things; and

evermore rejoice in his holy Comfort." And in the Litany; "May it please thee to endue "us with the Grace of thy holy Spirit: Let us " befeech God to grant us true Repentance, and "his holy Spirit, that thofe Things may please " him that we do at present, and that the rest of our Lives may be pure and holy. || Forafmuch, "O God, as without thee we are not able to please thee, grant that thy holy Spirit may, in "all Things, rule our Hearts; and because of "the Weaknefs of our mortal Nature, we can do

no good Thing without thee, grant us the Help of thy Grace, that, in keeping thy Commandments, we may please thee, both in Will and "in Deed."

Therefore as the * Difcourfes and Prayers of others abound with Testimonies to the Neceffity of Chriftians being led and guided, and influenced by the Spirit or Grace of God; which we sometimes exprefs by the Scripture and fignificant Metaphor, of Light; why should this Doctrine, or these Terms, be confidered and ridiculed as Abfurdities in our Words or Writings; fince we understand and use them in the fame Senfe and Acceptation, and pray for the Illumination and Aid of the holy Spirit, for the fame good Purpose, viz. To give us a right Judgment in all Things. And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an Understanding.

Col. 19 Sund. Trin.

+ Abfolution.
* Archbishop Tillofon's Sermons.

;

ftanding." We know that he is come by the "Gift of his holy Spirit fent into our Hearts " which fhews us all that we do, or ever have "done-This is he of a Truth, whom the Pro

phets and primitive Chriftians bore Testimony

to; by his Heart-searching Power, we know "him; nor can we mistake him for another: "And as he thus knows the Secrets of all Hearts, "and will judge them with righteous Judgment,in "the Day God has appointed for it; the only Way "for us to be happy here, as well as hereafter, is

to obey the Dictates of this most holy Gift "and refrain from every Thing it reproves for; "and we, as well as thofe in the Apostle's Time, "fhall feel the Peace of God to fill our Hearts " and Minds. This holy Gift therefore is the "Power of Godliness, which the Apostle forefaw "fome would deny, tho' they retain'd the Form "of it: To deny therefore this Influence, is "to deny one of the effential Benefits of Christ's "Death and Mediation; for he leading Captivity

Captive, that is, the Power of Hell, Death and "the Grave, afcended up on high, and mediated "and obtained these divine Gifts for Men ; and as "the Grave could not hold Captive the Body of "this holy One, fo neither can the Heaven of "Heavens contain or limit his fpiritual Influence;

by which his Minifters and Servants receive "Power, Knowledge and Wisdom. Men may, "with as good a Grace, go about to deny the In"fluence of the Sun by its Light and Heat, as that " of God Man. upon But poor, proud, finite "Man, because he cannot comprehend the Mode "and Manner of it, would as prefumptuously as injuriously

injuriously (to himself) deny it. Whereas he "can't fo much as understand or comprehend the "Manner of the natural Sun's emitting its Ray "of Light and Heat, tho' he daily fees and feels "the Neceffity and Benefit of them: How much

more ftupendously fublime and incomprehen"fible is the Diffufion of the holy Spirit! 'Tis "fufficient for us finite Creatures, to feel the "Effects of it, as we do of the Sun, without com"prehending the Manner of its Emanation. As "the Powerful Operation and Motions of God's "Spirit, quickening the Heart towards God, are

compared to the blowing of the Wind; for as "it is by the Wind, Man perceives the Effect of "it, that there is such a Thing, and that it does "blow; yet his Power cannot restrain it; neither can his Reason reach to know, whence it rifes, or how far it comes, or how far it reaches. However, it is fit to be obferved, that God "does not act by a coercive or compulfive Power; "but as he has given Men fpiritual Gifts, fo he "has given them spiritual Faculties to use them, 66 as well as natural Ones: But if Men will not hear, the Confequence as naturally follows, as « in any other Cafe, God remaining invariably the fame, and without the leaft Shadow of turn"ing,"

I fhall now produce another Testimony to the Truth of the Operation of God's Spirit in Man, which the Archbishop of Cambray gives us in the following Words; "By Scripture 'tis certain that "the Spirit of God dwells in us; that it acts there, "that it prays there continually, that it groans "there, defires there; that it afketh for us, what

we

"we know not how to ask for ourselves; that it "excites us, animates us, fpeaks to us in Silence, "fuggefts all Truths to us, and unites us to itself, · "that we become one Spirit with God: This is "what Scripture teacheth; this is what the Doc"tors who are fartheft off to inward Life, cannot "but acknowledge: And yet, notwithstanding "their Principles, we always fee by their Prac"tice that they fuppofe the outward written Law,

or, at moft, a Light drawn from Scripture and "Reason, to be what enlightens us inwardly; " and that it is not our Reason afterwards which "acts of itself by that Inftruction. These Men "fet not enough by the inward Teacher, the holy "Spirit, who does all in us; he is the Soul of our "Souls; we cannot frame a Thought, or create

a Defire, but through him. Alas! how great " is our Blindness! We make account as if we "were by ourselves in this inward Sanctuary; but, "on the contrary, God is there more nearly than

we ourselves are. Perhaps you will fay to me, "What then, are we all inspired? Yes, without "Doubt; but not as the Prophets and Apoftles "were. Without the actual Infpiration of the

Spirit of Grace, we can neither believe, will,

"nor do any Good. We are therefore always in"spired; but we ftifle this Infpiration continually. "God ceases not to fpeak; but the Noise and

Hurry of Things without, and our Paffions "within, deafen us and hinder us from hearing "him. We must filence every Creature, and our"felves too, to hear in profound Stillness of Soul, "the inexpreffible Voice of Chrift, the Bride་ groom of our Souls. We must listen diligently;

for

"for 'tis a very ftill and foft Voice, which is not "to be heard, but by fuch as hearken to nothing "elfe. O how feldom is the Soul filent to let God

speak! The leaft Whisper of our vain Defires, "or Self-love, attentive on Self, confounds all the "Words of the Spirit of God. We hear plainly "what he speaks, and that he asks for fomething; "but we don't perceive what it is; and very often 88 we are contented not to understand it. The leaft "Reserve, the leaft Regard for Self, the leaft Fear "of understanding too plainly, that God asks for "more than we care to give him, disturbs this in"ward Voice. Shall we wonder then that fomany, and even pious Perfons, but full of amusing Thoughts, vain Defires, worldly Wisdom, and "Confidence in their own Virtues, can't hear "it; but take this inward Voice to be a Chimera "of Fanaticks! Alas, what do they mean by fuch "fcornful Language? To what Purpose would "the outward Expreffions of Teachers be, and " even of the Scriptures themselves, if it were not "for the inward Voice of the holy Spirit; which

gives the other all its Efficacy. The outward "Words of the Gospel itself, without this living, "efficacious Word within, would be but an empty "Sound. 'Tis the Letter that killeth, but the

..

Spirit giveth Life. O eternal and All-powerful "Word of the Father! 'tis thou who speakeft in "the very Bottom of our Souls. The Words that

proceeded out of the Mouth of our Saviour, " when upon Earth, had not been productive of "fo much Virtue and fo great Fruits, but because they were animated by this Word of Life, "which is the Word himself.